Motor vehicle



pe ented Mar. 24, 1931 e I 1 1,797,577

UNITED STATES PATENT; oFF cE ROSCOE G. HOFFMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN V Moron VEHTCLE Application filed September 4, 1928. Serial No. 308,632.

This invention relates to motor .vehicles, transmission shaft thereof as on the line 11 and particularly to motor vehicles provided of Fig. 3. with a so-called front wheel drive in which Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional the transmission is placed forwardly of the view of thetransmission shown in Fig. 1 engine, the principal object being the prothrough the axis of the countershaft as on 65 vision of a new and novel means for manually the line 2-2 of Fig. 3. cranking the engine from the front end of the Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional vehicle. view taken as on the line 33 of Figs. 1

Another object is to provide means for nd 2- '10 ll ki th engine f e f t The provision of means for manually 4 Wheel drive motor vehicle which will permit cranking the engine of a front wheel drive the crank handle to be turned in a clockwise Vehicle as P n d a number of diflidi ti as i th ease f th ti l, culties, particularly where the transmission is r ar wh l driv motor hi l placed forwardly of the engine, and it is the 18 A th bj t i t ide a mechanism principal ob ect of the present invention to fo manually t i over th engine f e prov1de a simple and economical mechanism motor vehicle including manually operable to accomplish this lieslllt- The part ular means (go-operating with th t i i constructlon of the transmission mechanism thereof. shown in the accompanying drawing and to 20 A th bj t i t id means f which the present invention is shown applied man ll ki th ngi f meter is the subject of my application for United vehicle including a an ll t t bl gear States Letters Patent for improvements in co-operating withthe constant mesh gears of Power transmission h i m l d F r th hi l t i i ary 24th, 1928 and serially numbered 256,538, Another object is to provide manual crankalthough is to he understood that the P i means f motor hi l tin ent invention is not limited in its application with the transmission thereof and including the Partlcular transmission mechanism a hift bl gear l t shown but may be equally well applied to any A f th bj t i t id manual suitable type of transmission mechanism emcranking means foramotor vehicle including y fi for front wheel drives, and further a do clutch and a shiftable gear, the dog i a P some instances, be desirable for P clutc and the gear being simultaneously t PIICatIOII to motor vehicles other than front into operative position upon a single move- Wheel dnve P P Vehicles' 1 t f th t ti crank The transmission mechanism itself is more The above being among the objects of the fully hownand described in my previous .present invention, the same consists in cerpaitent E above r f to and tain features of construction and combinabnefly compnses tml}sm1ss1on housing) tions of parts to be hereinafter described with provlded at the rear Wlth bell housmg 11 4 referencetto the accompanying drawing? and which is adapted to be secured to the clutch t h r having the above and other itifi$ihi$ii 235301 515 i Jec s m n ternal combustion en 'ne whic In the ilccompanymg drawmg Whlch PF source of power for Elie vehiclg 'lli e sents asuitableembodnnent of the present 111- driven Shaft 12 is Suitabl mounted in the f h a in which like numerals refer to rear wall 13 of the transmission housing by h PartS throughout h Several different suitable bearings 14 and has formed thereon f 0 immediately forwardl of the bearings 14 an Fig. 1 s a vertical sectional view taken external gear 15 whic serves as one of the through the transmission of a front wheel constantmesh ears ofthe transmission. The dr1ve motor vehicle centrally of the main forward. end 0% the clutch driven shaft 12 is with the gear 15 and serves as the remaining provided. with an internal opening 16 in which the rearend of the main transmission shaft 17 is rotatably rec'eived, the forward end of the shaft 17 being suitably supported in bearings 18 carried by the forward wall 19 of the transmission housing. The main transmission' shaft 17 has splinedthereto the sliding internal clutch member 19 which is' adapted to engage the external clutch Ifieniber 20 formed on the rear end of the clutch driven shaft 12 in order to directly connect the main t ansmission shaft 17 to the clutch driven sha 12 for direct drive purposes when desired. The main transmission shaft has also formed thereon the clutch member 21 and the spur gears 22- and 23 which are adapted to engage suitable sliding gears (not shown) on the counter-shaft 24in order to effect the various ratios of speed between the clutch driven shaft 12 and,the main transmission shaft 17. The main transmission shaft is also provided with a bevel gear 25 which meshes with the ring gear 26 which is operatively connected to the axle shafts 2,7, as described inmy previous application above referredto, the gears 25 and 26 being of the hypoid type which permits the transmission shaft 17 to be extended over the top of the axle shafts. The counter-shaft 24 is. provided witha gear 27 secured thereto which meshes constant mesh ear of the transmission. The

gear 27 is thus in constant mesh with the gear 15 which is formed on the clutch driven shaft 12, and the clutch driven shaft 12 is directly connected to the engine at all times except when the clutch is in disengaged position;

In accordance with the present invention I provide a post 28-rigidly secured in the rear wall 13 of the transmission housing 10 below the transmission-shaft 17 and in axially parallel relationship therewith, and rotatably supported against axial movement on .the post 28 I provide a gear 29 lying in the same plane'as the gears 15 and 27 but out of mesh with both of them. In the same wall 18 I provide a second post 30 extending forwardly therefrom and lying in axiallyparaland t ransmiss1on shaft 1 positioned in a plane perpendicular to a plane extending through the axes of the post 28 and the counter-shaft 24 and midwa between the adjacent teethof the gears 27 and 29. A gear 31 is rotatably and slidably mounted on the post 30 and is of such a diameter that when moved into the plane of the gear 27,.meshes with both the gear 27 and the gear 29, but normally is out of. meshing l relationship with both; The gear 29 has formed thereon a forwardly extending hub P01121011 32 rovided with an enlarged'recess 33, and its orward edge is cut awayas at 34 to form one member of an axially engageable dog clutch. The forward end of the post 28 lel' relationship with respect1 to the post 28 t e post 30 being 7 is reduced in diameter as at 35 and rotatably supports thereon'rear end of a tubular shaft 36 which is rotatably supported at its forward end in the forward wall 19 'ofthe housing 10. The rear end of the shaft 36 is provided with an enlarged recess 37 and its rear edge is formed as at 38 to provide a dog clutch member adapted to co-operate with the dog clutch member 34 formed the gear 29. A coil spring 39 surrounding the reduced end 35 of the post 28 within the recesses 33 and 37 is held under compression between the bottoms of said recesses and noron the hub 32 of I mally urges the shaft 36 forwardly andthe clutch members 34 and 38 out of engaged position. The shaft 36 is provided with a collar 40 secured thereto against axial and 'roto the shaft 36 when it is desired to manually rotate the shaft 36, the end of the crank 31 being inserted into the hollow interior of the shaft 36 and having its end slotted so as to embrace the pin 41. A suitable guide thimble 44 may be provided in the wall 19 about the shaft 36, and packing such as 45 may be compressed about the shaft 36 at the end of the thimble 44 to further insure against escape,

10 about the shaft 36. v

The shaft 36 immediately forwhrdl of the.

dog clutch member at the rear thereo is provided with afcircumferential groove 46, and

rotatabl received in the groove 46 and main:-

tained t erein against axial movement relative'to the shaft 36 is the end of a shifter member 47 which is provided with an arm 48 terminating see Fig. 2) in ayoke 49 engaged in a circumferential groove'50 formed on the forward end of the-hub of the gear 31; The

movement withtheshaft 36. e a g During normal operation of the vehicle the spring 39 holds the clutch members 34 and 38 in disengaged position by holding the shaft 36 at the forward limit of its axial movement, and at such time the shifter member 47 maintains the gear 31 forwardly of the plane of the gear 37 and consequently out of mesh gear 31 is thereby constrainedto equal axial v of lubricant from the transmission housing v I therewith. When it is desired tomanually crank the engine the transmission is placed in neutral position and the clutch in engaged position. The crank 43 isthen inserted in the shaft 36 and pressure is applied to the shaft 36' through the crank 43 to move the shaft 36'rearwardly against the pressure of the spring 39 until the clutch members 34 and 38 engageeach other. At the same time the shifter member 47 moves the gear 31 rearwardly into meshing relationship with both the gear 29 and 27. Thereafter, upon turning the crank 43 in a clockwise direction, the shaft 36 and gear 29 are caused to rotate'in a clockwise direction turning the gear 31 in a. counter-clockwise direction,the gear 27 in a clockwise direction, and the gear 15, and consequently the clutch driven shaft 12 in a counter-clockwise direction, this being the conventional direction of rotation of thecrank shaft of an internal combustionengine driving a motor vehicle through the front wheels.' Inasmuch as the clutch driven shaft 12 is directly connected to the crank shaft of the engine, at such time rotation of the crank 43 will accordingly cause rotation of the engine crank shaft. As soon as the engine begins to rotate under its own power, release of, axial pressure on thelcrank 43 will permit the spring 39 to move the clutch members 34 and 38. out of engagementand move the'gear 31 out of mesh with the gears 29 and 27.

It will be obvious that during normal running of the engine neitherthe gear29 nor the gear 31 are rotated. This permits the simplest type of bearings to be employed for rot-atably supporting the gears 29 and 31. It will also be apparent that although I have shown the gears 29, 31 and 15 as being of an equal diameter so as to get a one-fo-one ratio between the starting crank43 and the clutch.

driven shaft 12, the size of these gears may be changed to obtain any ratio between the starting crank and the crank shaft of the engine that is deemed desirable or necessary. As previously pointed out, although I have shown this manual cranking mechanism as applied to a transmission of a particular type for a front wheel drive motor vehicle, it will be obvious that it maybe equally well adapted to any other type of transmission mecha nism for motor vehicles with a front wheel drive or to those driving in the conventional manner through the rear wheels, the particular transmission shown being merely for the 1 purpose of explanation.

Formal changes-may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit or substance of the broad invention, the-scope of which is commensurate with the -appended claims.

What I claim is:

1; In combination with the transmission of Said pair of gears in meshing relationship whereby to establish a driving connection a motor vehicle and the constant mesh' gears thereof,'a manually rotatable axially. shiftable shaft, a third gear co-operable with one of said constant mesh gears, and'means for driving said third gear from said shaft, comprising an axially fixed member rotatable with said shaft. i

gears thereof, a manually rotatable axially shiftable shaft, and means for establishing a driving connection between said shaft and one of said gears upon shifting of said shaft to one extreme of its shiftable positions includinga third gear shiftable with said shaft and by meansv for gearing 'said third gear to said shaft andto one of said constant mesh gears upon shifting of said shaft,

, 3. In combination with the transmission of a motor vehicle and the constant mesh gears thereof, an axially shiftable gear co-operable with one J of said constant mesh gears and normally maintained out of engagement therewith, a manually rotatable axially shift-' able shaft normally maintained outof drivin-g engagement with said shiftable gear,

'means for shifting said axially shiftable gear upon axial shifting of said shaft, and means for driving said shiftable gear fromsaid said constant mesh gears when moved to one extremity 'of its shiftable positions, and means for establishing a driving connection 1 between said shaft and said-fourth gear.

5. In combination with the transmission of amotor vehicle and the constant mesh gears thereof, a third gear, lying in the plane of: said constant mesh -gears,an axially shiftable manually rotatable shaft aligned: with said third gear, means for clutching said shaft to said third gear upon axial movement of said shaft, and a fourth gear shiftable with said shaft into meshing relationship with ,said third gear. and one of said constant mesh gears when said shaft is J moved into clutching relationship with said third gear. I 6. Means for manually cranking the engine of a motor vehicle characterized by the provision of a manually rotatable axially shiftable shaft and a pair of associated gears at least one of which is operatively connected to said shaft, both of said gearsbeing nor- "mally rotatable relative to said shaft and to each other and one of said gears being axially shiftable into meshing relation with the other thereof, and means forlocking one of said pair of gears to said shaft and placing between said shaft and said engine.

7. In combination, a transmission casing,

a pair of constant mesh gears positioned in the rear end of said casing, an axially movable and rotatable shaft extendin through the front wall of said casing an into adjacent relationship with respect to said con-' stant mesh gears, and'gear means'movable by said shaft for establishing a driving connection between said shaft and one of said constant mesh gears.

8. In combination with the transmission of a motor vehicle and'the,constant mesh gears thereof, a manually rotatable axially shiftable. shaft, a gear J shiftable withsaid shaft, said gear normally-bein 'freeto ro- I tate relative to said shaft; an ,means for establishing a driving connection between said gear and both sa1d shaft an'one of said 1 constant mesh of said shaft. 9. In combination gears upon axial movement Q s 4 with the transmission of a motor vehicle and the constant mesh" gears thereof, an axially fixed rotatable gear,

an axially shiftable and rotatableshaft, an

axially movable gear,gmeans' for clutching said shaft to aid axially gear upon axial movement of said shaft, and means dependout upon axial movement of said shaft for placing said axially movable .gear in ineshin relationship with said axially fixed gear an one of said constant mesh gears whereby-to establish a driving relationbetween said shaft and saidjconstant mesh gears.

10. In combination witlrthe transmission of a motor vehicle including a casing and constant mesh gears housed therein at one end thereof, a manually rotatable axially shiftable shaft extending from adjacent said gears to theopposite end of said casing, an

axially shiftable gear shiftable into meshing relationship with one of said constant mesh gears, means for establishing a driving engagement between said axially shiftable shaft and said axiallyshiftable gear upon axial shifting'of said shaft, and means exterior to said other end of said casing for im- I parting axial and rotatable movement to said shaft.

11. combination with the transmission for a motor vehicle and the constant mesh gears thereof, a manually rotatable axially shiftable shaft-extending intosa'id transmisi ,sion in parallel'relation'with' respect to the axes of said constant mesh gears, a pin supported in alignment with said shaft, a rotatable-gear on said pin fixed against axial movement, co-operating clutch elements on said shaft and said gear co-operable upon axial shifting of said shaft to lock said shaft 55 means dependentupon said axial shifting of said gear for establishing a drivin relation mesh gears. 60: v

to said .gear for rotation therewith, and,

between said gear and one of sai constant noscon o. OFFMA 

